A Modern, Upscale LA Supper Club Steps into Quiet Toluca Lake Next Month

Longtime Los Angeles chef Paul Shoemaker is back with a new San Fernando Valley supper club restaurant. The upcoming spot Verse lands on Lankershim in Toluca Lake/North Hollywood area next month, and comes with some heavy hitter backing.

At Verse, Shoemaker — who previously worked everywhere from Providence to Bastide to the short-lived Montresor — is partnering up with Rob Ciancimino, formerly of the Sayers Club, and Manny Marroquin. The latter is an eight-time Grammy winning sound mixer (who is up for a handful of new awards this year as well) who runs the adjacent Larrabee Studios. The group previously ran the underground supper club pop-up Intro.

The plan, reps say, is to combine the talents of all three into a modern supper club experience, meaning Shoemaker-level food like grilled meats and lots of produce, along with cocktails from Ciancimino and a live entertainment and audio element, including a Meyer Sound Constellation acoustics system. Matthew Kaner is on to oversee the wine list as well.

Verse will still be restaurant-first, but more than just a standard sit-down-and-dine kind of place. Much like the new V DTLA, the plan is to use auditory cues to change the feeling of the space throughout the night, with a reliance on changing playlists like what can be found at modern listening bars such as Gold Line in Highland Park. In total, the space spans nearly 4,000 square feet across 140 seats. Expect an opening in mid-December.

Verse. 4212 Lankershim Blvd., Toluca Lake.

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